This invention relates, in general, to a process for refining steel, and more specifically, to an improvement in the basic oxygen process wherein molten steel contained in a vessel is refined by top blowing oxygen into the melt, i.e. from above the melt surface.
One problem frequently encountered in making basic-oxygen steel is the limited life of the vessel's refractory lining. It is periodically necessary therefore to reline the vessel, incurring loss of production and relining expense.
Prior methods of improving lining life have been to add dolomitic lime to the slag, see for example Kristiansen et al, "The Effects of Operating Variables On Sulfur Performance in a BOF Shop," 1976 Open Hearth Proceedings, ISS-AIME, pp. 28-41. However, too much dolomitic lime renders the slag too viscous for efficient sulfur removal.